Accidentally in Love
by TARDISlover3
Summary: Maleficent thinks her new neighbor is cocky, annoying and an idiot. When given a choice, she'd choose to stay alone rather than hang out with him. But obviously he isn't giving her a choice, given that he won't leave her alone. What happens when he gets too close? Longest one shot I've ever made, I think it was worth it. Totally Maleval, Modern and AU. Enjoy!


Accidentally in Love

A Maleval One-Shot

My first Maleval! Whoohoo! Ok, read it and tell me if you think I should do more Maleval! Just a One-shot so I can test my Maleval and see how I do. Review, and let me know what you think!

Song To Listen to:

Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows (there is actually a Maleval version of this song if you look it up on youtube)

Modern, AU. Enjoy!

Accidentally in Love

"Hey!" I hiss as my hand connects with another as I try to reach the last copy of Nos4a2, a book by a man named Joe Hill.

My eyes flash from the book to the person who is connected to the hand, and study him. Whoever he is has black shoe polish hair that is slicked back, a hawkish nose and almost black eyes. Rugged scars (1) outline his eyes.

The thing is, he's not concentrated on the book either, although our hands are still touching the cover and therefore, each other (2). He's concentrated on me.

"Is there a problem?" I ask, referring to his stare. This guy blinks, and removes his hand from the book.

"Umm, no. No, not at all. It's just, I didn't expect the whole grabbing at the same time thing."

He's lying.

"Right..." I say, and take the book off the shelf. I look down at it. "So, who grabbed it first...?" I leave the space open for his name.

"Diaval. Diaval Ravenswood." He says, and I nod. Wait. Isn't that another term for devil or something? (3)

"Right, so who grabbed it first, Diaval?" I ask, holding the book up.

"I believe it was you." He says sincerely. I blink.

"What?"

"I think you grabbed it first."

So that was unexpected.

"Ok... um, thanks."

I push past him, only for him to grab my arm. "What's your name?" He asks. I tense at his touch, and quickly pull my arm out of his grasp.

"It's Maleficent." I say, and turn towards the front of the store.

"Will I be seeing you again then?" He asks. I frown. Does he never stop asking questions?

"I wouldn't know." I say, and go to the cash register without another word. I lay for the book, and leave the store.

Good riddance.

...

"You have got to be kidding me." I mumble as a moving truck pulls up into the empty driveway next to my house. A black car parks behind it, and a very familiar person stumbles out of it.

I haven't had neighbors in years. Seriously, I live out in the woods, the nearest town for miles being a place called Stablerville, which is an extremely old and practically abandoned place in Kentucky, where barely anyone lives.

They have a bookstore (where I work almost everyday except for the weekends), a clothing store, a Stop and Shop and a gas station. The schools are in the next town over.

The only reason there's another house next to mine is because the old owner used to have family who he wanted close by. When I bought mine, the place had been empty for years.

I close my book and stand up, trying to get back in the house before he can see me.

Too late.

"Maleficent!" Diaval shouts, waving. I groan as he makes his way towards me.

"Hello, Diaval." I say.

"What a coincidence, eh? Well, I need to get unpacking, but I'll see you around."

I don't even bother nodding.

How do you know I'll be around to see?

...

"Don't be thinking that because I'm your neighbor that you need to make conversation with me." I say a week later, my nose in the book.

I'm sitting outside again, lounging on my stomach on a towel in the grass. Even though its fall, I still like coming out here to read, and sometimes garden plants for the spring. Diaval is leaning up against one of the trees bordering our divide, staring at me. It's seriously unnerving.

"Oh come on! Won't you indulge me in a little twenty questions?" He asks.

I frown. "I don't do questions."

"Humor me then. What's your greatest fear?"

I bristle. "None of your business." I say shortly, and return to my book.

For a quick second, I flash back to a man who I hoped I would forget over time, but to no avail. I shake my head a raise the book so my annoying neighbor can't see my face.

Suddenly, my book is pulled away from my face and I growl in anger. Diaval is standing above me, the book held triumphantly above his head.

"You're never going to leave me alone, are you?" I ask, crossing my arms. Diaval smirks.

"Nope." He says, and takes off, still holding my book.

"Diaval, you come back here!" I shout, picking myself off the towel and running after him.

"Can't catch me!" He says, and I frown, trying to pick up speed.

Diaval is apparently too caught up in himself to see the tree.

It's mean, I know, but I smirk a little when he hits it. It's like an episode of the Three Stuges.

As mean as I am, I still stop to help him off the ground, taking the book from him. "Too bad I just did." I say, a smile lifting the corner of my mouth.

"No fair." Diaval mumbles as he brushes himself off.

"All's fair in war." I say, purposely leaving a part of that phrase out.

"Don't forget love." Diaval says, and I tense.

"To most people." I say softly, soft enough that he can't, I hope, hear me.

The silence that has fallen over us leaves quickly, unfortunately, and soon Diaval is breaking it again.

"You certain you won't tell me anything?" He asks, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

I sigh. "My name is Maleficent Moors, I am 25, currently single and don't want anything to do with people. I rarely talk and I rarely converse with anyone. Good day."

I turn on my heel, and walk back to my towel, hoping to not be disturbed.

At least, that's what I thought.

...

For the rest of the day, Diaval tries to get me to talk about anything with him. I, of course, ignore him. He's like an annoying fly.

I end the day with a salad, avoiding going outside to eat like I normally would. I take a quick shower and a bit of bedtime reading. Then I shut off the light and go to sleep.

...

The next day, Diaval comes outside while I work in my garden, and man does he look awful. His hair is messed up, his eyes are bloodshot and there are dark bags under his eyes.

"What's up with you?" I ask as I put some seeds in the ground.

"I couldn't sleep." He says, rubbing a hand over his face. "Nobody told me there were wolves here."

"This place is surrounded by a forest; what would you expect?" I ask, but his sentence makes me backtrack. "You're afraid of wolves?"

"Dogs." He utters.

"There's a difference." I say, rolling my eyes.

"No there isn't!" He says, starting to get annoyed. "You would be afraid too if..." He stops mid-sentence, afraid to say whatever was after his last word.

I sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to aggravate you. Stay here." I stand up, and walk a few feet away to one of my apple trees.

I come back, holding a ripe apple in my hand. "Here." I say, thrusting the apple at him. "I may not be a good conversationalist, but I'm a dang good gardener if I do say so myself. You look like you haven't had breakfast. Eat."

Diaval looks surprised, but takes the apple and bites into it. "Thanks." He says through bites, and I nod.

We sit in silence for a moment. "You know, when I moved here I would listen to music until I fell asleep, to drown out the wolves." I say, trying to be nonchalant.

Diaval swallows. "I'll try that."

...

For some unknown reason, I invite Diaval to dinner a few nights later. It's weird, I don't know why, but I think I want to know this man better.

"Hope you don't mind salad, bread and maybe some tofu." I say as I lead him into the house. "I'm a vegetarian."

Diaval's eyes widen. "So am I." He says, and I nod in approval.

While I'm in the kitchen working on grilling the tofu, I can't hear Diaval doing anything. I decide to ignore it, and turn back to the food.

When I finish, Diaval is reading Nos4a2, and I frown.

"You know I'm still reading that, right?" I ask, hands on my hips.

Diaval looks at me sheepishly. "Sorry. I couldn't resist." He's still holding the book.

"Just don't lose my page." I say, and Diaval nods, pointing to a black bookmark stuck towards the back of the book. Where'd he get the bookmark?

I nod. "Dinner's ready." I say, and Diaval stands up from the arm chair he was seated in.

I grab the two plates holding our food, and head outside, a confused Diaval trailing behind.

"Don't you usually eat inside?" He asks as I sit down on a blanket spread out on the grass.

"I was only doing that to avoid neighborly conversation." I say, and pick up my fork. Diaval smirks.

"You wound me, Maleficent, you really do." I snort a bit.

"Just shut up and eat." I say, putting food in my mouth.

We don't talk much during dinner-the way I like it; I'm used to being alone. There is the occasional word in between bites, but not much more than that.

"So, Maleficent," Diaval says as he follows me to the kitchen to place his empty plate in the sink. "Still up for a game of twenty questions?"

"You're seriously doing this with me right now?" I ask, grumbling.

"Hey relax, I'm just joking." I roll my eyes and walk over to my freezer. I grab two ice cream bars and beckon for him to follow me.

"Come on." I walk out the door and into my backyard, then into the woods.

"Uh... are you sure this is a good idea?" Diaval asks. I roll my eyes.

"If you're going to live here, you're going to need to know this place pretty well." I step over a fallen tree.

"But there are wolves here!" He whines. I sigh.

"Don't worry, I come here all the time with my niece." I say.

"You have a sibling?" He asks.

"An adopted one." I say sourly. He can tell I don't want to talk about it anymore, and let's it be.

"Here it is." I say once we've reached my favorite part of the woods. A little stream runs through a clearing, surrounded by wildflowers. A deer calmly drinks from it.

"Wow." Diaval says. I hand him his ice cream bar, and motion for him to sit on the bank. The deer leaps up and bounds away as he sits.

"Told ya." I say, and bite into my own.

"Your niece must love it here." He says. I shrug.

"The little beastie has plenty of fun playing in the stream. She sometimes brings her friends. Though I suppose she isn't so little anymore. Almost 16."

Diaval nods. "Why do you like being alone?"

"Why do you like asking so many questions?" I bite.

"Point taken." He laughs.

We finish up and just soak in the atmosphere. I'm scanning the woods for more wildlife when I feel a cool splat on my cheek. I slowly turn my head to Diaval.

At my glare, he erupts into bird-like laughter. I frown, and stand up. I walk down to the stream, grab a handful of mud and slam it into his face. That shuts him right up.

"Take that." I say, smirking.

...

On our way back is when we hear the howls. Diaval tenses immediately, and tries to nonchalantly edge closer to me for protection. It's doesn't work well, obviously. I hold up a hand behind me, telling him to stop for a minute while I go ahead a bit.

"Ma- Ma- Ma-"

"Oh spit it out already, Diaval!" I say, scanning the bushes for wolves. Then there's a low growl behind me.

"Maleficent!" He yells, and I turn in time to see the wolf pounce on him.

"Diaval!" I shout in alarm, and scan the ground. My eyes lock on a large tree branch that was broken off during the storm we had a few weeks ago, and I race to grab it. In front of me, the wolf is still attacking Diaval, and his cries are chilling. I need to stop this.

I run up to them, braver than I ever thought I could be, and give the wolf a good solid whack. There's a sickening crunch as I collide with his skull, and the wolf whines as I hit it again, and again until I can finally get it off Diaval. It runs away, howling.

I grab Diaval by the arm, a bit forcefully for someone in his condition, but for good reason. "Come on, wolves don't usually travel alone. There's bound to be more coming our way."

I look at Diaval, who is covered in scratches that are oozing blood, and I resist the urge to throw up. I wince, however, and just try to focus on getting him back to the house.

When we manage to get into the backyard, I push Diaval into the house by way of the backyard and into the living room, where I drape a towel over my couch and instruct him to lie on it while I get some supplies.

I grab the ointment and bandages, as well as some disinfectant, a washcloth and water, then bring them back to the living room. I pull up a kitchen chair and start.

"This might sting a bit." I say as I start to clean his wounds with the disinfectant. Diaval clenches his teeth and squeezes his eyes. He might even be biting his tongue, but I can't tell.

I start with his right arm, then his left, then I move to his torso. His black shirt is torn to bits, and I have to get it off him if he doesn't want infections. I do so, leaving him looking a bit uncomfortable. There are a few scratches on his legs, and I roll up his pants in order to get to them. Lucky for both of us, there don't seem to be any more from the knee up. I finish that, and then clean a cut on his left cheek.

"There. Now I just need to put on the bandages." I say, putting a bandaid on his face.

When I'm finally finished patching him all up, he kinda looks like a walking bandaid man. I give him an oversize t shirt of mine that I would use for gardening because i didn't want to get my other clothes dirty, and a brush so he can fix his hair. He nods his thanks and tries to do it all without inflicting pain upon himself.

"Why didn't we just go to the hospital?" Diaval asks as I grab my phone from my purse. "It's kind of obvious I needed stitches. These wounds probably won't heal so easily."

"The nearest hospital is 35 minutes away." I say as I punch in the number. "You would have bled to death if I didn't do something."

I don't get into my few first-hand experiences with this kind of thing, both with myself and my adopted sister. That would mean starting a conversation.

I quickly make an appointment and get Diaval off the couch. "Wait, now?" He asks as I get him into the passenger seat.

"Do you want to do something about those cuts or not?" I ask.

The drive is silent, and I don't really know why until I see Diaval fast asleep. I shake my head and throw a blanket from the backseat on top of him.

"No, no, no, no! Stay back!" Diaval writhes. He's having a nightmare. I place my hand on his shoulder.

"Diaval! It's a nightmare. I'm here." As if he can hear me in his sleep, he calms down. I keep one hand on him and one hand on the steering wheel for the rest of the drive.

...

I decide to stay out for the stitches. Like I said, this happened to my adopted sister a long time ago. I stayed out for those too.

I manage to stay awake until maybe after half an hour of waiting, and then my eyes shut and I drift off.

...

"Maleficent. Maleficent? Wake up!" The voice of Diaval calls to me, and my eyes fly open to the hospital waiting room.

"You're alright, then?" I ask, rubbing my eyes and swallowing back a yawn. Diaval nods and offers his hand. I take it and pull myself up, still trying to blink the sleep away.

They have stitched up the cut on his cheek, a deep gash in his arm, and probably some others that I can't see because of his clothing. The thread is blue, and extremely visible. It sends shivers up my spine whenever I look at it.

I pick up my bag and lead Diaval out to the car. He opens the passenger door and motions for me to get in. I raise my eyebrow.

"You need sleep. I can drive." He says. I roll my eyes.

"You'll get lost." I say, pointing out that he's only been here for about a week or two.

Diaval waves his phone at me. "GPS. I'll be fine. It's the least I can do for you. You saved my life."

I duck my head. "It was nothing." I mutter. I shrug, and step in.

Five seconds later, I'm out.

...

I wake up a bit later to see Diaval cursing at his dead phone. I snort, and he turns his head towards the noise.

"So." He says, running a hand sheepishly through his hair, messing it up a tad. "We're lost. My phone died."

The look on his face is too much.

I burst out laughing, unable to stop. The laughter hurts my sides and sends tears running down my face.

I look over at Diaval, who is frowning at me, but is probably trying to hold back laughter of his own. A grin twitches at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sorry." I say once I'm finished, wiping my eyes. "It's just, your face..." I start laughing again, and this time Diaval crosses his arms. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I'm done."

"Can you please just take me home?" He asks, and I nod. We both get out and switch seats.

"I never asked how the stitching went." I say, surprised at my own attempt to start a conversation. This day jus keeps getting weirder and weirder.

Diaval shrugs. "It was alright. They gave me stuff so I wouldn't feel them sticking me with their needles. That nurse wouldn't stop staring at my beautiful self, however."

This gets a snort from me. "Your beautiful self?" I ask, trying to hold in the laughter.

"Well of course. What did you think I was, a tree creature?"

"I'll have you know those are classically handsome!" I say, teasing.

"Oh, so you aren't denying it, then." He says smugly.

"And we're back to the cocky and arrogant Diaval. Yes folks, the world was so amazed to see him being a gentleman. But now, their hopes are in the mud."

Diaval actually laughs. "You know, I never knew that about you." He says thoughtfully.

"Never knew what?" I ask.

"That you had a sense of humor."

I just shrug. "Sometimes I can amaze people."

"Indeed." Diaval murmurs.

...

I finally manage to us back to our neighborhood, and I pull up in front of his driveway.

"Thanks again, Maleficent. You know, for rescuing me from that dog." His gaze is making me squirm.

I nervously brush a lock of hair behind my ear. "It was nothing. Can't have anyone dying on my hands, can we?"

He laughs dryly. "Definitely not. Goodnight." He leans over and presses a soft kiss to my cheek.

My eyes widen. Did he just do what I think he did?

Diaval then opens the car door and walks up the driveway into his house.

What. Just. Happened?

...

In my room, I change into pajamas and slide under the covers. It finally registers in my head.

Diaval just kissed me.

And the thing is, I don't think I'm bothered by that.

And the thing is, I don't think I'm bothered by that.

What is wrong with me? You'd think I'd learn.

I know one thing though; I can't let him get to me. It's too risky.

I can't be in love. I'm not capable of it.

...

The next morning, I grab my keys and walk to my car. It's Monday, so I have to go to work at the bookstore. I normally enjoy it, but because I got like 6 hours of sleep last night or something, I'm exhausted and cranky.

On my way out, I see Diaval checking his mailbox. Of course, there is nothing. We don't get a lot of mail out here.

When he sees me, he gives me a wave. I turn my back and ignore him.

It's for the best, it's for the best.

I get into my car and start it. I drive past Diaval and try not to look at his face.

...

A week later of avoiding Diaval I'm interrupted when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

My head starts to throb when I see that it's Diaval. He had given his number to me a week earlier, before dinner while we were outside. I just never thought that he would actually do something about it.

Can we talk? Come over, please, and hear me out.

Fine.

I put my phone away and pull myself up off my couch. I insert the bookmark that just appeared when Diaval was here last week and grab my keys.

I lock the door and walk across the threshold of his yard. When I reach his door, I take a deep breath and knock on the door.

The door opens a minute later, as if he was waiting behind the door, ready to open it when I knocked. Knowing Diaval, he probably was.

There stands Diaval, wearing black as usual, his black hair slicked back and neat. The only thing that betrays him from looking normal is his eyes; they are red rimmed, and have dark shadows underneath them.

"Good. You came." He says, and pulls me in.

He leads me down a hallway and into a living room. He sits down in one of two armchairs, and motions for me to sit in the other one. I do, sitting up as straight as I can.

"Why have you been avoiding me, Maleficent?" Diaval asks, jumping right in. "Dont try and tell me that you aren't. You were opening up last week, but now there's nothing. What happened?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say stiffly, trying not to meet his obsidian eyes.

"Yes you do." He says firmly. He crosses the space between us and tilts my head up. His dark eyes are sad, angry, hurt and upset. "Did I do something? Are you mad at me?" His eyes widen. "Oh gosh, no."

I fight back tears, blinking furiously.

"It was the kiss, wasn't it?" He asks. "Wasn't it?"

I dont answer. The silence is enough.

"Dang it Maleficent, why do you push away everyone who wants to get close? I want to know you better. I care about you. Please, let me help you."

"You want to know why I shut everyone out?" I ask, suddenly angry. Angry at him for trying to weedle his way into my life. Angry at my family. Angry at everyone. "I shut everyone out because of this."

I stand up and turn around. I lift up the back of my shirt, revealing the scars I kept hidden for so long. They are nasty, long and jagged. They run up and down my back, crisscrossing and circling in one big mess.

I drop the back of my shirt and turn around. Diaval's mouth is wide open. "Maleficent-"

"I'll just be going then." I say, wiping a tear away. "Good evening."

I leave the house and walk into my backyard. I keep walking, into the woods and past the stream. I don't stop, not even when I'm in an unfamiliar area.

Dash it all. I don't care anymore.

At least, that's what I'm thinking when I hear a growl behind me.

Crap.

It's too late for me to run. I don't know where I am anyway.

Pain overtakes me as long claws slice me. I scream in agony and try to push away from the wolf. I'm too weak to do anything.

Alarm bells set off in my head as my heart beats abnormally fast. I can feel the blood pouring out of me, staining the ground. Thoughts through my head, most muddled and incomplete. One thought rings out clearer than the rest.

"DIAVAL!" I scream, voicing my thought.

Then there's darkness.

...

I wake in a bright, light room. Is this what death is?

Then my vision clears and I realize; I'm in the hospital.

I feel something around my hand, and I flick my eyes over, too exhausted to move.

Diaval. How did he find me? What about the wolf?

He doesn't see me awake, and is staring at my hand. I close my eyes and steady my breathing before he looks back. I don't want to talk to him just yet.

"Please, Maleficent. Don't give up. Keep fighting. Don't leave me. I need you." He gulps. "I love you." The last part is whispered, and my heart flutters.

Which is caught on the heart monitor.

"Maleficent?" Diaval asks. I manage to steady myself, and squeeze his hand, not opening my eyes.

He squeezes back. "Stay strong." He presses a quick kiss to the top of my head, and leaves the room. Nurses come up to me and check my vitals.

They give me something, which causes sleep to fall over me. The last thing I see is Diaval's face.

I think I love him too.

...

When I wake up again, I see a female doctor; not Diaval.

The doctor notices that I'm awake right away, and smiles. "Miss Moors. How are you feeling?" She asks.

"Like I just ate too much sugar and crashed. What happened?" I ask.

"Your friend brought you in torn up and hanging on the edge of life. We managed to patch you up in time. I think that if your friend had brought you any later you wouldn't have made it."

I blink. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Thank you. When do you think I can be released?"

"You were unconscious for three days, then slept for another and a half. We were planning on releasing you when you woke up."

I nod, and she leaves me to change. I notice that there are a lot of stitches in me, on my arms, around my torso, on my legs. I shiver, thinking what would have happened if Diaval was too late.

Once I do, a nurse comes in to bring me into the waiting room.

There paces Diaval, looking worried, even thought he knew I was awake yesterday. When he sees me, those black eyes flood with relief.

"Maleficent!" He calls, and comes up to me. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have-"

I stop his sentence by wrapping my arms around him. He's surprised at first, but then wraps his arms around me. He smells like blackberries and pine, a good strong scent in my opinion. The feel of his arms around me makes my legs turn to jelly.

When I pull away, he opens his mouth to say something, but I hold up a hand to shush him. "It doesn't matter. You're forgiven."

It's dark when we walk outside. My car is parked close to the door, and all we have to do is walk a few yards. He gets in the driver's seat and I get in the passenger's.

The drive back is silent. It's not awkward, but more relief filled and respectful.

I'm filled with questions, but decide not to push him. He looks tired, and I don't want him to get aggravated.

I stare out the window. Rain starts falling, hard, and soon the window is covered in the drops. I sigh.

Should I tell him my greatest secret? He's already seen the scars. Am I ready? Can I trust him enough to love him? Can I trust myself to do the same?

I still haven't come up with answers for those questions when we pull into my driveway. When Diaval stops the car, I open my door and run out, trying to get out of the rain.

He follows me, and I quickly unlock the door and go inside. When we are both safe from the rain, I go into the kitchen and make hot chocolate.

I hand a mug to Diaval, and keep one for myself. We sit next to each other on my couch, close but not touching.

Is it bad that I want to lay my head on his shoulder, have his arms around me?

"So," I say after a minute of now uncomfortable silence. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Diaval gulps. "After you stormed out, I followed you. When you were attacked by that wolf, my first instinct was to run and hide. But I couldn't. I couldn't leave you to die." Diaval is silent for a minute. " I threw a rock at its head. You were already unconscious. It backed off, and I threw another at its head for good measure. That's when it ran off."

I can see tears pooling in his eyes. "I was so scared, Maleficent. I was scared that you were going to leave. Leave me." A few tears escape this time, and I boldly reach up and brush them away.

"I'm ok now." I say, leaving my hand on his shoulder. "I'm whole and alive, thanks to you." I take a deep breath. "I think it's time I tell you about myself. My whole story."

Diaval's eyes widen a bit, but he nods. He scoots closer to me, and I let him take my hand.

"I wasn't always this way; hard, cold, an anti conversationalist. I thought I had it all; friends, family, a loving fiance.

"I had met Stefan back when I was young, and we quickly became friends. Of course, that friendship turned to love over the years. When he proposed, I happily accepted.

"It didn't last long. Stefan started getting into smoking and drinking. He would call me names, spit on me, sometimes hit me. It got worse." I wipe my eyes, and Diaval wraps an arm around me. I don't move out of his arm.

"I finally broke when I saw him kissing my adopted sister, Evelyn. They were doing it in public too, and when I got home that day, I told him I was breaking our engagement and moving out."

I take another shaky breath and wipe away a few more tears. The scars on my back seem to burn like they did they that day all those years ago. "He started hitting me, calling me worse names than he ever did before. That's when he snapped. Stefan took a knife from the kitchen and attacked me with it. That's where all the scars come from."

I look at Diaval, who's eyes are filled with pure rage. The hand in his lap is clenched in a fist. He looks like who would kill Stefan if he could.

"Sorry doesn't even begin to explain how awful I feel for you. If I ever see that guy, I swear I will make him pay for what he did to you." Diaval says through clenched teeth.

I reach up and cup his cheek with my hand. My finger brushes the scar by his left eye, and I furrow my brow. "Do you..." I gulp, still a bit nervous of the look he's giving me. "Do you think you could tell me how you got your scars?"

Diaval takes a deep breath. "I was only 5 when it happened. My mom was heavily pregnant with my sister, and was suffering from terrible morning sickness. My dad was at work. No one was watching me when I went to play out in the backyard.

"I didn't see the wolves. They came behind me and attacked me. A neighbor was out gardening and saw the attacks. He chased the wolves away and called 911. I've been afraid of dogs ever since."

I wrap my arm around him. "I'm sorry. I guess we're both pretty scarred, aren't we?"

Diaval nods. "Maybe we can be scarred together?" We're facing each other now, our faces getting closer.

My brain is screaming at me to run, to do something, anything but do what it doesn't want me to do. "Yes."

Then our lips meet.

Diaval tastes like blackberries; not a surprise. His lips are soft, and I don't hesitate to wrap my arms around his neck. His hands rest on the small of my back, squeezing me to him.

When we finally pull away, I'm filled with a new feeling; hope.

I stay in Diaval's arms the rest of the night.

...

The next morning, I get an alert from the news.

Stablerville resident Evelyn Moors was found dead in her home last night, suspected heart failure. She was found by her daughter, Aurora Moors, who then contacted 911...

My eyes widen as my eyes scan the page. Beside me, Diaval is stirring, starting to get up. He takes one look at my worried face, and his face matches mine. "What's wrong?"

I show him the message. "My sister is dead."

...

The funeral is pretty awful. I did love my adopted sister, I even thought of her as a real one until that day with Stefan. We even started to regain our relationship after Stefan left her when she was 8 months pregnant with Aurora.

Diaval comes with me, letting me lean on him and cry. He helps sprinkle dirt onto the coffin, stays by my side the whole time.

It only gets worse, however, when I see Stefan come up to me at the reception.

He's definitely changed. He now has a beard, his hair is dirty, and he smells. His teeth are stained yellow, and he reeks of alcohol. When he approaches me, I back into Diaval.

"Hello, Maleficent." He says, his voice raspy and deep.

"What do you want?" I snap, locking my hand with Diaval's. "To tear me to shreds? To take me back now that your old lover is gone? Too late. I stopped loving you when I saw you with her. And to leave her when she most needed you? Horrible".

Diaval tenses, and I can tell he knows that this is Stefan. I squeeze his hand, telling him to stay calm.

"Don't be like that, Maleficent. Why don't we ditch this sob little party and go have some fun?"

I snarl as rage blossoms in my chest. Did he not hear a word I just said?

This is the last straw for Diaval; he takes his hand out of mine and punches Stefan in the jaw.

The crowd gasps as he falls, slamming into one of the tables and then hitting the ground. Diaval takes my hand.

"We should probably go." He says. I furrow my brows, but agree.

"You can be so stupid sometimes." I say as we're running across the parking lot. "But I love you for it."

I nearly slap myself for my slip of the tongue.

Diaval nearly stops in his tracks. "What?"

"Later." I say, and climb into the car. "Lets just go before someone calls the cops for bodily harm or assault or whatever."

Diaval tells me to stop at a gas station. When I'm fully parked, he turns.

"You, you what?" He asks, looking at me with confused, yet hopeful eyes.

I sigh. "I love you, you silly man."

I can't deny it any longer.

Diaval smiles. "I love you too."

Then he leans over and kisses me.

...

The next day, I'm sitting with Diaval, reading a new book while he reads Nos4a2, when there's a knock on my door.

I look up from the book and set it down. When I open the door, Aurora is standing in the door with a suitcase in hand. With her is someone who looks like a lawyer.

"Miss Maleficent Moors?" The man asks. I nod. "Since Miss Aurora Moors is currently without a mother and has a father who we were unable to contact, you being the only closest relative, we release her into her care."

I nod. I remember speaking about this with someone from the childcare services yesterday, before Stefan came around.

He has me sign some documents, then goes away. Diaval is still too into the book to realise we have another guest.

When he looks up, he's startled. "Who's this?" He asks. I smile.

"Diaval, this is Aurora, my niece. Aurora, this is my boyfriend Diaval."

At the mention of 'boyfriend', Aurora squeals and hugs me tightly. "Boyfriend? Why didn't you tell me!? Oh my goodness, I'm so happy for you!"

I swears she's cutting off my oxygen.

"Thank you." I say, and Diaval comes up behind me. He kisses the top of my head and goes to shake Aurora's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Aurora." He says with a smile. Aurora smiles back.

"Aurora will be staying with me for a while, Diaval. Since Stefan left her, I'm really only her closest relative. My parents are dead."

He nods. I take Aurora to the guestroom, which is now her room for a while. I leave her to get settled down, and return to Diaval.

"Back to the books then?" Diaval asks as I sit down next to him. I nod.

We open our books, and start reading.

...

"Diaval, what is so important that you have to blindfold me?" I ask as I let my boyfriend lead me through what is probably the woods.

It's been a year since I met Diaval, and things couldn't be better. Thanks to him, I'm now coming out of my shell. Aurora has been living here happily, and I haven't seen Stefan since the funeral.

"Just be patient! We're almost there!" Diaval says, laughing. I huff and cross my arms, but I don't argue anymore.

He finally stops, and takes the blindfold off. I gasp at my surroundings.

The gold light of the sunset sets all the orange and red leaves ablaze, making the stream a fiery inferno. Its beautiful, the stream glistening and trickling softly. I smile.

"It's beautiful, Diaval. But why blindfold me?" I ask, kissing his cheek.

"Because I want to make this special." He doesn't elaborate, and I don't push. We sit down by the stream, and Diaval hands me an ice cream bar. I smile, and bite into it.

"You know everything, don't you?" I ask, resting my head on his shoulder.

Diaval laughs. "In addition to having a beautiful self, I also have an amazing brain."

"Indeed." I say, and kiss him.

He kisses me back, and I don't realise until it's too late that he is pushing me into the water.

When I feel the water, I shreik and playfully splash Diaval. "You are so gonna get it!" Diaval is too busy laughing to notice me coming up behind him.

Five seconds later, he's in the water.

Unfortunately for me, that's when he's able to pull me in again. I shriek in displeasure and splash him again.

We spend the next ten minutes splashing each other and throwing mud. Eventually, we lay out on the bank, drying off.

Then Diaval looks worried. "What's wrong?" I ask, looking around. "Wolves?"

"No." He says, and starts checking his pockets.

"What, did you lose your phone?"

"No." He says. "You have got to be kidding." He mutters. Then aloud, he says, "I'll be right back."

Then he's in the water.

Five minutes later of splashing, Diaval comes out with a small box. He holds it above his head in triumph.

"What is that?" I ask once he's back on the bank.

Now he looks scared. "Erm... man, you just made this a lot harder." He clears his throat. "Maleficent. I love you. A lot. I don't think I could survive a life without you. So this is me, asking, will you marry me?"

He opens the box to reveal a diamond ring. The base is made up of gold vines, swirling around each other until they meet at the diamond. My eyes widen.

"Yes. Yes!" I say, then attack him. I kiss him until I can't breathe.

He pulls away. "There's only one problem." He says.

"What is it?" I ask, confused. Diaval grins.

"Aurora isn't going to stop talking about this for weeks!" He says. I laugh.

"You are so right. Be a dear and get me an extra wedding gift of earbuds."

"Anything for you, Maleficent. Anything."

...

On the day of the wedding, I'm a complete wreck. Aurora keeps trying to reassure me, but I'm not calmed.

"What if I trip and fall?" I ask, worrying my hands. Aurora looks up from my hair.

"You'll be fine, Auntie Maleficent! You love him, don't you?" She asks, inserting a few bobby pins.

I nod.

"Then you have nothing to fear! Trust me."

I nod again, and Aurora finishes. I look at myself in the mirror, and I have to admit, I look pretty good.

My dress fits snug until my waist, where it then flows out in flowery ruffles. Strands of gold run through the white. Aurora has pinned my hair up, and run thin gold and amber ribbons through it.

"You look beautiful!" She squeals. I smile.

"You too, beastie." I say, nodding to her gold knee length dress. She smiles.

The violin music changes and she squeezes my arm. "Ready?"

I nod, and we walk out of the tent. We walk to the aisle, which runs along the stream. At the edge of the clearing stands Diaval, looking proud and happy. When he sees me, his eyes widen.

When I reach the end, Diaval takes my hands. He smiles. I smile back.

I didn't think my scarred heart could be mended. I thought I wasn't capable of loving. It seemed impossible.

That was before I met Diaval. Sure, he's annoying, and cocky, and crazy, and can sometimes be an idiot, but who cares? I love him for who he is.

And that's what True Love is about.

The End.

(1) I think they're just to make him look birdy, but whatever, they are scars on this fic.

(2) I am aware that it rhymed.

(3) Seriously, does it? I'm too lazy to look it up.

Again, tell me what you think! Want more Maleval? Let me know! Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
